HELP! New parent!

I NEED HELP!! I'm a parent trying to understand this Playstation Network. I went online and created a master account and even registered a $20 playstation network card. I entered my email and created a password. Here some questions:

1. Do I have to create a sub account for my son?

2. I don't have the set up account option on the onscreen menu on the television

3. My son and I went to buy some things from the Store. I obviously entered the Network $20 card on the computer. How do I get to use that amount on the TV when I go to checkout.

Re: HELP! New parent!

1. You can create a sub account for your son if you would like to keep your paid for items and his separate. However, if you buy a game from the playstation store, once you have it downloaded to the machine. Both the Main account and Sub account will be able to play the game when downloaded and installed.

2. To create a Sub account, log into the main account by pressing x on the icon after you start the machine. Then once you have logged in, it should have an icon that says " create new account" underneath the Main account id name.

3. What you should do is, after logging in on the main account. Go all the way to the right on the " cross media bar" to "playstation network" icon. You should see an icon that says sign up for playstation network under neath the " playstation network" icon. Once you have signed up for playstation network and filled in the information, you should then sign in, the sign in icon will also be underneath the "playstation network" icon. Once signed in.. look underneat the "playstation network" icon one more time and then you will account management. After you press x on account management, you then press x on account information. After you have done filling in the necessary info. You will then go to the "playstation network" icon one last time, and then at the bottom of the list there will be a place for the "playstation store". This is where you can buy games and movies for playstation. I hope this helps. Feel free to private message me on these forums by clicking on my name and then look to the right for private message, click on it, and then shoot me an email. I hope this helps.

When I turn the machine on, the option to create an account is not there. I thought, however, I did create an account already, but just on line.

When I go to sign in, it says my ID is wrong, my password - everything is wrong!

Am I supposed to activate something on the machine?

I just don't get this!!!! Maybe I'm thinking the computer info and the on-screen stuff are supposed to all sync or something.

I appreciate any help!!

On the PS3, you've got a PS3 User. When you go over to the network section and create a network account, you tell it to use an existing account. You enter your e-mail address you used to create the account, and the password you chose. That's all it should take.

Re: HELP! New parent!

O.k. There are two separate accounts that you need to deal with on the PS3; the Playstation Network account, and the PS3 User. The PS3 User exists only on the PS3, and its main purpose is to separate preference settings, game saves, and other player specific data on the PS3. You create a PS3 user with the Create New User command, which is right under the Turn Off System command in the Users section of the Media Bar. That is the first thing that you should do when you add a member of the household to the PS3. PS3 Users can have any name you want that doesn't already exist on the PS3, up to 16 characters long. You can use real names for the PS3 Users, and most people do, because they can't be seen anywhere except on the PS3. It doesn't need to match the PSN account name, and in fact there is no reason for it to. You can change the User name later; unlike PSN account names, which can never be changed. Here is a link to the manual page for creating a PS3 User...

Once you have created a PS3 user for your son, then you need to log in to your son's User on the PS3. Just select your son's name under Users. Once you are logged in to the PS3 as your son, then go to the Playstation Network section of the media bar, and select Sign Up for Playstation Network. Do this regardless of whether or not you have created a PSN account for your son already. On the first Sign up screen you can indicate that you are using an existing PSN account for this User, and the PS3 will prompt you for the sub-account's sign-in e-mail address and password. Here is a link to the manual page that covers this...